IOLYF Chapter 90

Pang Mingshun’s grand mansion was typically occupied by him alone. Pang Yuanqing, busy with work, rarely came back, but whenever Pang Mingshun called, Pang Yuanqing would rush back no matter the distance.

The servants at the mansion all knew that Pang Yuanqing was extremely respectful and filial towards his adoptive father, so when Han Shao Zhou tried to have a private conversation with the housekeeper, he couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

If there weren’t a massive inheritance dispute, Han Shao Zhou knew that Pang Yuanqing would make a nearly perfect uncle.

Dinner was pleasant.

After dinner, Han Shao Zhou stayed with Pang Mingshun to play chess, while Mo Ming sat quietly to the side with a teacup in hand. Meanwhile, Pang Yuanqing was outside, busy on the phone.

After a while, Mo Ming excused himself to go to the restroom and encountered Pang Yuanqing in the hallway.

Pang Yuanqing had just finished his call when Mo Ming approached and greeted him. No matter how Mo Ming tried to steer the conversation towards Zhou Xu, Pang Yuanqing always deflected with vague answers, his eyes glimmering with a faint smile, his demeanor consistently friendly.

Mo Ming knew that with Pang Yuanqing’s sharp mind, he had surely figured out that the person who had broken into his room that night was none other than himself. Pang Yuanqing was also undoubtedly aware that Mo Ming must have overheard something he shouldn’t have. Despite his calm facade, there was no telling how deeply wary Pang Yuanqing was of him.

It was clear that any direct probing would be impossible…

As night fell, Han Shao Zhou and Mo Ming stayed overnight at the mansion. On their way upstairs, Mo Ming glanced once more at the painting on the wall.

After they entered the room, Han Shao Zhou finally released his grip on Mo Ming’s waist. After taking a shower, he grabbed a pillow and tossed a thin blanket onto the floor by the bed, saying, “You sleep on the bed, I’ll take the floor.”

The floor beside the bed was covered with a thick layer of light gray carpet. The room was kept impeccably clean by the servants, so spending a night on the floor wouldn’t be too bad.

“I’ll sleep on the floor,” Mo Ming offered. “This is your grandfather’s house.”

“I’m a restless sleeper. If I roll off the bed and crush you in the middle of the night, that’d be no joke,” Han Shao Zhou said, lying down on the carpet, his back turned to Mo Ming, pulling the thin blanket up to his ears. “There’s nothing to argue about. It’s just one night. Just be careful not to step on me if you get up in the middle of the night.”

Around midnight, moonlight filtered through the thin window curtains.

Mo Ming turned over and whispered down to the person on the floor, “Are you cold?”

The room was warm and comfortable with the air conditioning, and Han Shao Zhou replied with his eyes closed, “Freezing.”

“Why don’t you come up and sleep?” Mo Ming said softly. “The bed’s big enough. I’ll move over a bit.”

Han Shao Zhou slowly opened his eyes and turned to meet Mo Ming’s gaze in the dim light. Neither of them could see the other’s expression clearly, but they both knew they were looking at each other.

“Are you sure?” Han Shao Zhou asked.

Mo Ming nodded. “It’s still snowing outside. You’ll catch a cold if you stay like this.”

“If I fall asleep, I might…” Han Shao Zhou grinned mischievously, “end up hugging you, kissing you, cuddling you—are you okay with that?”

He wasn’t just teasing. Over the past three years, Han Shao Zhou had developed a habit of holding Mo Ming whenever they shared a bed. It was something he couldn’t resist doing when Mo Ming was beside him.

“…”

Mo Ming was silent for a long time, then suddenly pulled his head back from the edge of the bed. Han Shao Zhou didn’t hear any more movement for a while.

Looks like he gave up on the invitation…

Suddenly, Han Shao Zhou regretted his own smart mouth… It had been a very, very long time since he last shared a bed with Mo Ming.

Even just listening to Mo Ming’s breathing while he slept seemed like a luxury now.

Feeling restless, unable to fall asleep, Han Shao Zhou got up and went to the bathroom.

In the middle of the night, Han Shao Zhou found himself reacting strongly… very strongly…

Damn, he shouldn’t have let his mind wander.

He tried to take care of things in the bathroom, but even after some discomfort, it didn’t help. Returning to the carpet by the bed, Han Shao Zhou frowned, curling up in the blanket as he tried to finish the job.

Just as things were heating up, a hand suddenly patted his shoulder, and a soft voice called out, “Han Ge…”

Han Shao Zhou nearly jumped out of his skin, whipping around so fast that he almost lost his nerve. Mo Ming had somehow gotten out of bed and was now crouched behind him, his face obscured in the moonlight, staring right at him.

“Han Ge,” Mo Ming whispered, “you still haven’t shown me the original photo that painting was based on.”

Han Shao Zhou clutched his chest, his voice trembling, “Are you trying to scare me to death?”

Mo Ming rested his hands on his knees, tilting his head in confusion. “Han Ge, what were you doing? Why did you get so scared?”

Feeling guilty, Han Shao Zhou quickly regained his composure, pulling his hands out and ignoring the question. “You want to see that photo?”

“Mm.”

“It’s really late. How about we do it tomorrow?”

“I suddenly remembered something and want to check it,” Mo Ming pleaded earnestly, gently pushing Han Shao Zhou’s shoulder again. “Can we, Han Ge?”

Han Shao Zhou had no choice but to sit up. “Fine. The study’s on this floor anyway, so it’s not far.”

And he wasn’t feeling sleepy at the moment, either.

In the quiet mansion at 1 a.m., everything was still.

The hallway lights flickered on as they walked, and Mo Ming silently followed behind Han Shao Zhou until they reached the study.

There were several studies in the mansion, and this one had belonged to Han Shao Zhou’s deceased uncle. It mostly contained items related to his uncle, and Han Shao Zhou had always had free access to it.

Han Shao Zhou found the photo album and handed it to Mo Ming.

Mo Ming sat quietly at the desk, flipping through the album, while Han Shao Zhou perched on the desk, one leg propped up, arms crossed, waiting patiently.

Before Mo Ming found the photo that inspired the painting, he had already identified the bracelet on Han Shao Zhou’s uncle’s wrist in other photos. It was made of pure gold, with intricate carvings.

Just as he thought.

“What’s wrong?” Han Shao Zhou noticed Mo Ming frowning and asked instinctively.

Mo Ming pointed to the bracelet on Han Shao Zhou’s uncle’s wrist in the photo and looked up at him. “Is this bracelet common?”

Han Shao Zhou shook his head. “Of course not. My uncle and my mom were twins, and on the day they were born, my grandfather had two of these bracelets specially made. They were engraved with Sanskrit characters meaning ‘health’ and ‘safety,’ and the craftsmanship is quite exquisite. I’d guess there are only two of these in the world.”

Mo Ming’s frown deepened. “Where are those two bracelets now?”

“I don’t know. I saw my mom’s bracelet when I was younger, but it went missing after she passed away,” Han Shao Zhou said, rubbing his chin as he thought back. “As for my uncle’s, I have no memory of it. But knowing his temperament, he could have given it to any of his mistresses… Why? Have you seen this bracelet before?”

“Yes,” Mo Ming replied. “I saw it with Zhou Ge once.”

Han Shao Zhou froze. “You mean Zhou Xu?”

“Yes.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.” The unique craftsmanship and engravings were unforgettable.

A strange and eerie feeling hung in the air between them during the brief silence that followed.

At that moment, they heard the sound of the door handle turning. Both of them stiffened.

The door was locked from the inside, making it impossible to open from the outside. Soon after, there was a knock at the door. “Who’s in there?”

It was Pang Yuanqing’s voice.

Han Shao Zhou and Mo Ming exchanged glances. Han Shao Zhou quickly put the photo album back in its place. Meanwhile, they heard Pang Yuanqing talking to a servant outside, “Go get the key.”

Han Shao Zhou grabbed Mo Ming’s hand and pulled him toward the corner behind the bookshelves. Mo Ming, confused, whispered, “We could just say we were reading…”

“Who reads in the study in the middle of the night? Do you think Pang Yuanqing is an idiot?” Han Shao Zhou replied. “And if what you said about the bracelet is true, then we definitely can’t let him find out.”

The room wasn’t very large, and Mo Ming didn’t think there was anywhere they could hide safely.

Han Shao Zhou pulled Mo Ming into the corner, hidden by layers of bookshelves, and quickly stripped off his cotton pajama top. “What are you standing there for? Take off your clothes.”

Mo Ming quickly caught on, unbuttoning the front of his pajama top and letting it hang open.

“Does this look okay?” Mo Ming asked sincerely.

They heard the key turning in the lock, and Han Shao Zhou grabbed Mo Ming, pinning him against the wall and kissing him forcefully.

Mo Ming wrapped his arms around Han Shao Zhou’s neck, hooking one leg around his calf. Their breathing grew heavy, sometimes light, sometimes rough.

A jolt of electricity shot through Han Shao Zhou’s body, making him freeze for a moment… Damn, was this what professional acting looked like?

Pang Yuanqing entered with a servant and quickly discovered the two of them in the corner, locked in a passionate embrace.

Mo Ming, embarrassed, tried to hide against Han Shao Zhou’s chest, while Han Shao Zhou hastily gathered his clothes to cover himself, one arm holding Mo Ming tightly as he turned angrily to the servants. “What are you looking at? Get out!”

The two servants quickly left the study.

“Uncle, you should leave too,” Han Shao Zhou said with a scowl. “I’m too embarrassed to get dressed with you watching.”

Pang Yuanqing’s lips curved into a gentle smile, but his eyes held an unreadable expression. “This is unacceptable, Xiao Han. This is your uncle’s study.”

Han Shao Zhou forced a laugh. “We were just looking for a little excitement. Please don’t tell Grandpa.”

Pang Yuanqing’s gaze shifted to Mo Ming.

Mo Ming was completely hidden behind Han Shao Zhou, only his eyes peeking out cautiously over his shoulder. When he saw Pang Yuanqing staring at him, he quickly ducked his head back down.

Han Shao Zhou pressed his chin against Mo Ming’s hair and held him even tighter.

“I almost thought there was a thief in the house,” Pang Yuanqing said calmly. “If you have any business, take it back to your room.”

It wasn’t until they heard the door close that Han Shao Zhou finally released Mo Ming.

Mo Ming fixed his pants and began buttoning his shirt, only to glance down and notice something… unusual about Han Shao Zhou.

“Got a little too into character…” Han Shao Zhou cleared his throat, turning away from Mo Ming as he quickly put his clothes back on. “How was my acting?”

Mo Ming gave him a nod of approval. “Pretty good.” Immersive acting at its finest.

The bright lights in the study left no room to hide their discomfort, so Han Shao Zhou didn’t dare turn around. “I broke a sweat… I’m going to go take a shower.”

With that, he quickly left the room.